Stoke Park is a public open space of 108 hectares (266.9 acre) in Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It occupies a prominent position alongside the M32 motorway

M32 motorway

The M32 is a motorway in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It provides a link from Bristol city centre to the M4 and is part of the Bristol Parkway. At about , it is one of Britain's shortest motorways...

, together with the landmark Dower House

The Dower House, Stoke Park

The Dower House, Stoke Park is a building in Bristol, England. It is one Bristol's more prominent landmarks, set on a hill above the M32 motorway on the main approach into the city, and painted yellow.The house was built in 1553 by Sir Richard Berkeley...

 and Purdown transmitter.

Stoke Park is expected to be formally acquired by Bristol City Council in spring 2011. A celebration day to mark the acquisition of the park was scheduled for 19 March 2011.

Bristol City Council plan to keep a herd of organic

Organic farming

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...

 Dexter cattle

Dexter cattle

Dexter cattle are the smallest of the European cattle breeds, being about half the size of a traditional Hereford and about one third the size of a Friesian milking cow. They were considered a rare breed of cattle, until recently, but are now considered a recovering breed by the American Livestock...

 in the park, both as a supply of beef and as an educational resource.

The Dower House

The Dower House

Dower house

On an estate, a dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the estate-owner. The widow, often known as the "dowager" usually moves into the dower house from the larger family house on the death of her husband if the heir is married, and upon his marriage if he...

 is one Bristol's more prominent landmarks, set on a hill above the M32 motorway

M32 motorway

The M32 is a motorway in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It provides a link from Bristol city centre to the M4 and is part of the Bristol Parkway. At about , it is one of Britain's shortest motorways...

 on the main approach into the city, and painted bright yellow. The house was built in 1553 by Sir Richard Berkeley. It has also been used as Pur Down Hospital and the Burden Neurological Institute. The house closed as a hospital in 1985, and has since been converted into flats.

Duchess Pond

Within Stoke Park are two small lakes, the largest of which is Duchess Pond. It is used for angling and also supports several species of breeding bird which are scarce elsewhere in Bristol, for example, Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting

Reed Bunting

The Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....

; in addition, an Egyptian Goose

Egyptian Goose

The Egyptian Goose is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae, and is the only extant member of the genus Alopochen...

was seen here in 2006.

Other facilities

• Hermitage Tunnel
• Purdown transmitter
• Woodland areas and trees.
• World War II gun emplacements on Purdown